Generalized Wasserstein Flow Matching: Transport Plans, Everywhere, All at Once
On the map: Diffusion models → Flow matching, time series and science
Abstract (arXiv)
Flow matching has recently emerged as a flexible and efficient framework for generative modelling by learning deterministic transport dynamics between probability measures. In this work, we extend flow matching to the space of probability measures over probability measures, introducing a Wasserstein-on-Wasserstein (WoW) formulation. Leveraging the nested Wasserstein geometry, we show that measures over transport plans naturally induce velocity fields that realize metameasure flows. This yields a principled generalization of Wasserstein flow matching via coupled outer and inner transport plans. To address the substantial computational cost of WoW transport, we propose scalable approximations based on sliced and linear Wasserstein distances, enabling efficient training while promoting numerically stable, near-straight trajectories. Our framework unifies and extends existing approaches to point cloud and set generation, providing a practical and theoretically grounded method for generative modelling in WoW spaces.
Key facts. Cited by 1 paper in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Flow matching, time series and science, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models. Builds on 49 of its 67 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 8 May 2026.
Builds on
49 of 67 references.
Closest ancestors · 16
Same direction, newest first
- 2025Flow Matching with Semidiscrete Couplings29 Sep
- 2025Bures-Wasserstein Flow Matching for Graph Generation16 Jun
- 2025Flow Matching: Markov Kernels, Stochastic Processes and Transport Plans28 Jan
- 2024Wasserstein Flow Matching: Generative modeling over families of distributions1 Nov
- 2024Generator Matching: Generative modeling with arbitrary Markov processes27 Oct
- 2024DeFoG: Discrete Flow Matching for Graph Generation5 Oct
- 2024Meta Flow Matching: Integrating Vector Fields on the Wasserstein Manifold26 Aug
- 2024Discrete Flow Matching22 Jul
- 2024Conditional Wasserstein Distances with Applications in Bayesian OT Flow Matching27 Mar
- 2023Equivariant flow matching26 Jun
- 2023Functional Flow Matching26 May
- 2023Multisample Flow Matching: Straightening Flows with Minibatch Couplings28 Apr
4 more
Other references · 33
- 2017Attention Is All You Needcited by 59,932
- 2020Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Modelscited by 20,851
- 2016PointNet: Deep Learning on Point Sets for 3D Classification and Segmentationcited by 5,223
- 2013Sinkhorn Distances: Lightspeed Computation of Optimal Transportation Distancescited by 2,277
- 2022Diffusion Models: A Comprehensive Survey of Methods and Applicationscited by 1,107
- 2022Building Normalizing Flows with Stochastic Interpolantscited by 964
- 2021Diffusion Probabilistic Models for 3D Point Cloud Generationcited by 734
- 2020PCT: Point cloud transformercited by 730
- 2019PointFlow: 3D Point Cloud Generation with Continuous Normalizing Flowscited by 487
- 2022Neural Optimal Transportcited by 123
- 2023Unpaired Image-to-Image Translation via Neural Schr"odinger Bridgecited by 96
- 2024Schr"odinger Bridge Flow for Unpaired Data Translationcited by 47
21 more
- 2024Heavy-Tailed Diffusion Modelscited by 34
- 2020Stabilizing Invertible Neural Networks Using Mixture Modelscited by 30
- 2020Fixed-Support Wasserstein Barycenters: Computational Hardness and Fast Algorithmcited by 29
- 2024Expected Sliced Transport Planscited by 19
- 2020Fast and Robust Comparison of Probability Measures in Heterogeneous Spacescited by 17
- 2021On a linear Gromov-Wasserstein distancecited by 17
- 2025Not-So-Optimal Transport Flows for 3D Point Cloud Generationcited by 17
- 2024Unlocking Point Processes through Point Set Diffusioncited by 12
- 2025Lightspeed Geometric Dataset Distance via Sliced Optimal Transportcited by 10
- 2025Flowing Datasets with Wasserstein over Wasserstein Gradient Flowscited by 10
- 2022On a linear fused Gromov-Wasserstein distance for graph structured datacited by 9
- 2025A Novel Sliced Fused Gromov-Wasserstein Distancecited by 9
- 2025Slicing the Gaussian Mixture Wasserstein Distancecited by 7
- 2023Linearized optimal transport on manifoldscited by 6
- 2025Slicing Wasserstein Over Wasserstein Via Functional Optimal Transportcited by 5
- 2025Generative Human Geometry Distributioncited by 4
- 2024The Monge-Kantorovich problem on Wasserstein spacecited by 3
- 2025A Brenier Theorem on (P2 (...P2(H)...), W2 ) and Applications to Adapted Transportcited by 3
- 2025Generative Unordered Flow for Set-Structured Data Generationcited by 2
- 2025Busemann Functions in the Wasserstein Space: Existence, Closed-Forms, and Applications to Slicingcited by 1
- 2026Flow matching on homogeneous spacescited by 1
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2026: 1.
1 paper.
- 2026Gromov-Monge Flow Matching for Equivariant Graph Generation27 Aug 2026
Similar, not cited
Close in wording, no citation either way
- 2026Path-independent Flow Matching for Multi-parameter Generative Dynamics
- 2026When Riemann flows with Wasserstein: Generative Modeling of Probability Distributions on Manifolds
- 2024Robustness and Structure Preservation in Flow-Based Generative Models via Wasserstein Path-Space Divergences
- 2025Theoretical Guarantees for High Order Trajectory Refinement in Generative Flows
- 2024Optimal Flow Matching: Learning Straight Trajectories in Just One Step
- 2026Diffusion Flow Matching: Dimension-Improved KL Bounds and Wasserstein Guarantees
- 2025On the Relation between Rectified Flows and Optimal Transport
- 2024On the Convergence and Straightness of Rectified Flow